Jean Cocteau Quotes

The spirit of creation is the spirit of contradiction, the breakthrough of appearances toward an unknown reality.

Poetry, being elegance itself, cannot hope to achieve visibility. It insists on living its own life.

No se debe confundir la verdad con la opinión de la mayoría.

Expect neither reward nor beatitude. Return noble waves for ignoble.

One of the characteristics of the dream is that nothing surprises us in it.

Je sais que la poésie est indispensable, mais je ne sais pas à quoi.

If it has to choose who is to be crucified, the crowd will always save Barabbas .

Sentir antes de comprender.

I grant you that, if you'll admit, as I do, that we are pawns of an unknown force that lives within us that dictates our actions and compels us to speak this language.

I believe in luck: how else can you explain the success of those you don't like?

Poetry is an ethic. By ethic I mean a secret code of behavior, a discipline constructed and conducted according to the capabilities of a man who rejects the falsifications of the categorical imperative. This personal morality may appear to be immorality itself in the eyes of those who lie to themselves, or who live a life of confusion, in such a manner that, for them, a lie becomes the truth, and our truth becomes a lie...

Hasten slowly. Run faster than beauty.

По едно време, в началото, аз те ревнувах и от съня ти. Питах се: къде ли отива, когато спи? Какво вижда? А ти се усмихваше, протягаше се, затова аз започнах да мразя хората, които сънуваш. Често те будех, за да ги пропъдиш. Но ти обичаше да сънуваш и се разяряваше, че те събуждам. Не можех да понасям невъзмутимата ти физиономия.

Anything of any importance cannot help but be unrecognizable, since it bears no resemblance to anything already known.

We are in a period of such individualism that one no longer speaks of disciples; one speaks of thieves.